Shloka 73
भगवान् भगहानन्दी वनमाली हलायुध: । आदित्यो ज्योतिरादित्य: सहिष्णुर्गतिसत्तम:
bhagavān bhagahānandī vanamālī halāyudhaḥ | ādityo jyotirādityaḥ sahiṣṇur gatisattamaḥ ||
Bhishma said: He is the Blessed Lord—one who both possesses and bestows divine excellences; the giver of supreme bliss; the wearer of the forest-garland; the wielder of the plough-weapon (as Balarāma); the Āditya (as Vāmana); the radiant light within the sun; the patient endurer of all opposites; and the highest refuge and goal of all beings.
भीष्म उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches devotion through contemplation of the Lord’s names: He is the supreme goal (gatisattama), present as cosmic radiance (jyotirāditya), and morally exemplary through forbearance (sahiṣṇu). Remembering these qualities encourages steadiness in dharma and surrender to the highest refuge.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhishma instructs Yudhiṣṭhira on dharma and devotion; here he recites a sequence of divine epithets praising the Lord (in the style of the Viṣṇu-sahasranāma), identifying Him with forms such as Balarāma and Vāmana and with the sun’s inner radiance.